A flurry of privacy concerns have taken the shine off WhatsApp’s much-hyped decision to allot its three billion users the task of picking up Telegram-like usernames this week. While the upcoming feature is intended to let users connect on WhatsApp without having to share numbers, many argue that “discoverability” could become a glaring side effect of the feature.
WhatsApp has started addressing some of the concerns on X, however, the issue refuses to die down.
Users concerned about fraud and impersonation
Ankur Warikoo, a known finance and lifestyle content creator from India, posted a warning against WhatsApp’s username feature to over 787,000 followers on X. Warikoo essentially said that the rollout of this username feature could become a disaster if Meta does not promptly implement anti-abuse provisions.
“Imagine receiving a message from warikoo / awarikoo / ankurwarikooo / ankur_warikoo / a_warikoo / ankurwarikooofficial etc etc – soliciting money,” the 46-year-old said. “I have fought a legal case against Meta’s lack of attempt to bring down AI-generated ads showing my face, luring people into investment WhatsApp groups. I understand how massive this scam is.”
Touted as WhatsApp’s largest market, India is emerging as ground zero driving major pushback against its upcoming username feature. With the recent appointment of CRED founder Kunal Shah as WhatsApp’s global CEO, Indian social media users are flooding social media with concerns surrounding the feature’s privacy risks.
Rajeev Manthri, the managing director of Kolkata-based venture firm Navam Capital joined Warikoo in the ongoing discussions on X.
In a subtle nod to Meta’s troubled history with user data harvesting and leak cases, Manthri claimed, “Meta’s objective is to get you to link social accounts across WhatsApp and Instagram, to move the needle on ad targeting and thus improve engagement and revenues.”
WhatsApp users in a country as populated as India are worried that scammers could already be creating fake usernames based on the identities of real people to bring malicious schemes to life in the coming months.
Screenshots of people reserving high-value usernames related to companies and public figures also sparked fears on foreseeable impersonation scams. Individuals have been posting how usernames like @OpenAI and @PMNarendraModi are up for grabs on the app.
Actor and stand-up comedian Vir Das shared a screenshot showing the username –@ArnabRepublicTV — coined after the identity of news broadcaster Republic TV’s founding editor Arnab Goswami was also available for anybody to take up and impersonate the news anchor.
That’s what WhatsApp said
The noise around WhatsApp usernames did manage to catch the platform’s attention on Tuesday.
Close to press time, WhatsApp posted an update addressing chaos around the username feature.
“Usernames are optional and if you don’t want to use one, nothing changes for you,” the official handle of WhatsApp said on X.
As per its plans, users interested in tapping the username feature can start with reserving their usernames from within the app’s settings. However, the feature will go live later in the year, so that its users have the time to navigate username overlapping and secure their own unique handles.
Those who do obtain a username on WhatsApp will not have to share their phone numbers to connect on the platform.
The platform has specified that it will be running detection mechanisms to identify impersonation patterns to ensure only legitimate owners can claim high-profile usernames. Elaborate details on the identification systems remain undisclosed for now.
Given Meta’s pivot to a more AI-adaptive working system, the company would perhaps deploy AI tools for username screenings.
Source: X/ @WhatsApp
